Clinton Township Newsletter

1 7 M A Y 2 0 2 1 introduction to multiplying fractions. Students are also busy learning about our great state of New Jersey! Historians are researching cool facts about famous New Jerseyans, learning about the diff erent regions, and realizing just how many exciting events took place in the "Garden State". Their studies will take them back to a time before we were a state and Leni Lenape fi rst lived on this land! Grade 4: In Math, the students will be starting to learn about two dimensional fi gures. Students will learn about line symmetry and will be able to classify diff erent quadrilaterals and triangles. The fourth grade scientists will continue their knowledge of energy by designing and creating their own devices that transfer energy. After that unit, students will learn all about diff erent types of waves such as sound waves. We will look at how waves move through the air and draw examples of waves using vocabulary such as wavelength, amplitude, crest, and trough. In Language Arts, the students will be writing Literary Essays and then will begin our Biography unit. Lastly, in Social Studies, they will be learning about fi nance. They will create their own business, complete with a business plan, budget, and advertising. Grade 5: Fifth grade mathematicians are working on adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions. These multi-step problems provide an important foundation for moving forward in 6th grade math. In social studies, our historians are learning about ancient Mesopotamia and the fi rst civilizations and will continue this study to learn about the fi rst empires. In ELA, our fi fth graders dug into the historical fi ction genre set during the period of WWII. The students took a deeper dive into non-fi ction text to support their learning. They completed virtual centers and they wrote essays. ClintonTownship Middle School CTMS participates in the annual mock trial contest, sponsored by the New Jersey Bar Foundation. There are three to fi ve winners per grade level, and the CTMS teams placed in each division! In 6th grade, our students won fi rst place with their liability case about a car crash. In 7th grade, CTMS students won an Honorable Mention for their case about a student privacy violation by a middle school teacher. The 8th graders won 2nd place for their fi rst amendment case about a high school violating the rights of the students. Now the students will write a script and act out their mock trial in a ZOOM courtroom, in front of a judge from the Bar Foundation. Excellent work, law students! The COVID pandemic has changed many things, but it hasn't stopped cancer! Our commitment to helping the American Cancer Society make cancer HISTORY has not waned, either. This year's 11th annual CTMS Relay for LIfe will be held on Friday, April 30. It will be part virtual and part drive in! It is not too late to join or donate at www.relayforlife.org/ctmsnj! Patrick McGaheran School Kindergarten Round-Up is now occurring for Patrick McGaheran School. A child must be 5 years of age on or before October 1, 2021 to be eligible for kindergarten during the 2021-2022 school year. If you have a child who will be eligible for kindergarten next year, please notify our district as soon as possible by completing the Kindergarten Round-Up Survey online at https://bit.ly/KPMG2021RU. If you should have any questions regarding the kindergarten registration process, please contact Ms. Carmella Shaw at cshaw@ctsdnj. org or 908.236.7235, ext 521. Thank you! We appreciate our PTA! Throughout the years, our Clinton Township Parent Teacher Association has funded and brought additional learning opportunities in a fun and exciting way through assemblies and events. The Clinton Township PTA sponsors enrichment programs to enhance the educational experience for the students of all Clinton Township schools each year. The programs are funded by the proceeds of PTA membership dollars and fundraising efforts done throughout the year. We are grateful for their support, and hope our families will consider being involved with our PTA! Assemblies were more challenging to organize this school year due to social distancing requirements, but the PTA was creative and resourceful, and was able to schedule a virtual author visit for our second-grade students with the famous author, Dan Gutman, who is known for his "My Weird School" children's book series. The second graders had the opportunity to learn writing tips and techniques from Mr. Gutman, and ask questions as well. This was a w o n d e r f u l e x p e r i e n c e for our second g r a d e r s . A d d i t i o n a l events are in the process of being planned f o r o u r kindergarten a n d f i r s t - g r a d e s t u d e n t s , a s well! Thank you, PTA! Round Valley School We are excited to be moving to longer and more frequent time in school for our students! Spring is a busy time and lots of learning is happening each day. Teachers are utilizing various methods to engage students and bring learning to life. Grade 3: Third graders are hard at work learning about unit fractions, identifying fractional parts and exploring fractions greater than one. They are manipulating fraction bars, drawing pictures and using number lines to compare fractions and fi nd parts of a whole, which is their early PMG's second graders enjoyed a virtual author visit with the famous author Dan Gutman who wrote the "My Weird School" children's book series.

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